City Council Meeting – Bob Evans Appointed!

by Jack Lee

It was a packed house at the old City Council Chambers tonight as people gathered to hear who would fill the next Chico Council seat. There was standing room

only all the way out into the foray. The audience seemed energized and eager to hear who the council would select as our newest council member, but I saw no hostility. Quite the contrary, the large crowd that including many Hmong, seemed quite affable with many smiling, hopeful faces anxiously awaiting the vote..

The vote count began with the council members each taking a few minutes to explain

their position. As one might expect, the platitudes and praises for both candidates were generously offered. Both men were extolled for exemplary community leadership and how this was a very difficult decision for the council. Thankfully, each council person kept to reason dialog and out of the emotional arena, except for one. Former Mayor and now Councilman Scott Gruendal just had to go there and play the tired old race card. He more or less indicted the good people of Chico for not being MORE inclusive. As he said, our community “arms were just not opened quite wide enough” yet and the locals “still had a ways to go” before they achieved his idea of the great multicultural society.

Many in my immediate earshot groaned as Ex-Mayor Gruendal continued this diatribe and in essence held himself out as a champion of diversity. This need for diversity was his reasoning to vote for Sor Lo, but that seemed to undercut Mr. Lo’ credentials and reduce him to being little more than a token for diversity. That was very unfair to Mr. Lo and all minorities.

The council tied in two separate vote counts, 3-3. Then on the 3rd and final go round, quite unexpectedly Councilman Andy Holcombe decided to switch his vote from Mr. Lo to Bob Evans! In his words this was to avoid a costly runoff election and then it was over.

Bob Evans was immediately welcomed by the council as most of the audience quietly filtered out of the council chambers to gather in small groups outside to mull over what had just happened. So, I took this as an opportunity to speak with some of the

attendees, like Ker Lee (shown left). He said he respectfully had to disagreed with Gruendal and never thought this was about a person’s race or that Chico was less than inclusive to minorities than it should be. Lee said everywhere you go somebody has a prejudice against someone or something, he didn’t think Chico was any different. He didn’t feel any less included and as for this appointment process, he thought it was and should have been about qualifications and that Bob Evans won on his and that’s it.

Lee’s opinion seemed to reflect the feeling of everyone I spoke with outside; they never thought race had anything to do with the outcome or that racism was a problem in Chico.